04/02/2012

Jasmine Tinner Has Designed Her Life: From Vision Room to College Degree

Soul Mirror: Jasmine created a spot to check-in with herself. Prompting her to stay on track.

Jasmine was an inner-city 13 year-old, struggling against the challenges of her troubled school and at-risk neighborhood. But, she had big dreams: to become a writer or journalist. That is when I stepped-in to help her to hand-make her dream into a reality by designing the room she occupied -- in her great grandma's home -- to reflect it. The idea was to immerse her in a vision of her future, creating visual reminders that would inspire her to continue on to her goal. We hoped for a future miracle to be immediately represented by that room makeover. The story is chronicled in Kids' Sacred Places: Rooms for Believing & Belonging. Next month Jasmine will come full circle when she graduates from the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism. Her strong and wise great grandmother, Gloria, Grandma Paula, and mom, Sheandrika, worked so hard to help her to make it through. (Matalin too.) Congratulations Jasmine on all you have achieved! I am SO proud of you.....xo Kelee P.S. Jasmine recently completed and journalism internship in Ireland. Wow.

Painted Affirmation: Jasmine and I painted larger-than-life book covers on her floor. Each represented a manuscript she was working on, and, acts as an affirmation of her desire to be a writer and journalist. Goals that are in-sight are also in-mind.